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The 

Training  of  the  Librarian 

By 

Friedrich  Adolph  Ebert 

Translated  from  the  second,  1820, 

German  Edition 

The  Librarian's  Series 

Edited  by 

John  Cotton  Dana  and  Henry  W.  Kent 

Number  five 


Woodstock  Vermont 

The  Elm  Tree  Press 
1916 


üBRAWf 
SCHOOt 


Mr.  Aksel  G.  S.  Josephson  brought  this  book  to  the 
attention  of  the  editors  and  wrote  the  introduction. 
Miss  Selma  Nachman  kindly  furnished  the  transla- 
tion on  which  it  is  based.  It  here  appears  in  English 
for  the  first  time. 

The  title  page  of  the  original  reads  as  folloivs : 

Die  Bildung  des  Bibliothekars,  von  Friedrich 
Adolph  Ebert,  Doctor  der  Philosophir  und  Sec- 
retair  der  Königl.  öffentl.  Bibliotheken  zu 
Dresden.  Zweite  umgearbeitete  Ausgabe. 
Leipzig.  1820.  bei  Steinacker  und  Wagner. 


34638G 


FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 
A  Librarian  of  the  Old  School 

Friedrich  Adolph  Ebert  is  perhaps  best  known  to 
American  librarians  through  the  English  Edition  of 
his  "  Allgemeines  Bibliographisches  Lexikon  ",  1837. 
In  the  history  of  librarianship  he  occupies  an  impor- 
tant place  as  the  first  who  is  known  to  have  urged 
the  independence,  that  is,  the  adequate  payment,  of 
members  of  the  library  profession.  Many  years  had 
to  elapse  after  his  death,  however,  before  this  prin- 
ciple was  accepted  in  Germany  even  in  theory ;  in 
practice  it  is  not  even  yet  completely  carried  out. 
Among  his  papers,  in  the  possession  of  the  Royal 
library  in  Dresden,  is  a  critical  study  of  the  library 
of  the  University  of  Leipzig,  written  in  1807,  in  his 
eighteenth  year,  in  which  he  points  at  the  low  sala- 
ries of  the  library  officials  as  the  cause  of  the  back- 
ward condition  of  that  library;  and  in  his  first 
printed  work,  "  Ueber  öffentliche  Bibliotheken,  be- 
sonders Deutsche  Universitätsbibliotheken",  1811, 
he  declares  outright  that  the  only  remedy  for  the 
unsatisfactory  situation  in  the  library  world  is  that 
librarians  be  paid  enough  to  enable  them  to  devote 
their  whole  time  to  library  service  without  the 
necessity  of  depending  on  outside  work  to  make 
their  incomes  sufficient  to  support  them. 
On  entering  the  University  of  Leipzig,  Ebert  took 


VI  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

up  theological  studies,  prompted  thereto  by  family 
traditions  —  his  father  had  been  a  minister  — but 
he  soon  turned  to  general  literary  history,  gradually 
broadening  his  studies  to  "  the  history  of  man's  in- 
tellectual culture  ",  to  quote  his  biographer,  Richard 
Burger.*  The  commonplace  books  which  he  kept 
until  the  close  of  his  life  are  still  used  as  a  tool  by 
the  librarians  at  the  Royal  Library  of  Dresden. 
They  cover  all  subjects  and  show  the  man's  uni- 
versal interests.  His  favorite  occupation  was  to 
prepare  bibliographical  reference  lists  on  definite 
subjects.  As  a  result  of  this  habit  Ebert  acquired 
an  astounding  amount  of  information  on  the  history 
and  bibliography  of  learning,  and  was  able  to  aid 
workers  and  students  in  the  most  diversified 
branches  of  science  and  literature. 

Ebert  was  born  in  1791  in  Tappau,  near  Leipzig, 
entered  in  1808  the  University  of  Leipzig,  and 
obtained  his  doctor's  degree  in  1813.  The  same  year 
he  began  service  in  the  university  library ;  but  be- 
fore a  year  was  past  he  moved  to  Dresden,  where 
he  had  been  appointed  secretary  at  the  Royal 
Library.  In  1823  he  became  chief  librarian  in  Wolf- 
enbüttel, an  office  once  held  by  Lessing,  but  re- 
mained here  only  two  years,  returning  in  1825  to  a 
responsible  position  at  the  Dresden  library,  whose 
chief  he  ultimately  became.  His  life  and  services 
are  interestingly  told  in  Burger's  biography,  which 
is  one  of  the  two  books  I  would  first  place  in  the 
hands  of  would-be  librarians.  The  other  is  Pro- 
thero's  Life  of  Henry  Bradshaw. 

•Friedrich  Adolf  Ebert,  Ein  Biographischer  Versuch  von  Rich- 
ard Burger.     Halle :  R.     Haupt,  1912. 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  VII 

In  closing  I  wish  to  call  attention  to  one  phase  of 
Ebert's  work  as  librarian.  He  discovered,  in  1815, 
Francke's  classification  scheme,  which  was  the 
basis  for  the  arrangement  of  the  books  in  the  Dres- 
den library.  This  scheme,  and  the  unfinished 
"  Catalogus  Bibliothecae  Bunavianae",  compiled  by 
Francke,  which  was  arranged  according  to  his  sys- 
tem, now  became  Ebert's  chief  sources  in  the  study 
of  classification,  and  to  would-be  librarians  he 
recommended  the  study  of  this  catalog  rather  than 
of  books  on  the  theory  of  classification.  After  he 
had  mastered  the  Biinau  catalog,  Ebert  began  a 
comparative  study  of  library  catalogs,  and  from 
this,  this  biographer  says,  he  not  only  learned  the 
best  way  of  preparing  a  catalog,  but  also  conceived 
the  idea  of  the  catalog  as  a  work  of  art,  as  a  work 
which  must  combine  clearness,  consistency  and 
minuteness.  He  was  so  carried  away  by  this  idea 
that  he  regarded  cataloging  as  the  most  important 
work  of  a  librarian.  He  himself  collected  biblio- 
graphical notes  on  the  most  diverse  topics  and,  in 
his  enthusiasm  for  cataloging,  he  even  lost  interest 
in  any  special  branch  of  literature  and  went  to  the 
extreme  of  regarding  books  merely  as  objects  for 
bibliographical  descriptions. 

Aksel  G.  S.  Josephson 

Note:  The  above  appeared  in  Public  Libraries,  November,  1912 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

These  pages  appeared  first  as  a  jubilee  publica- 
tion in  honor  of  the  worthiest  of  my  teachers,  and 
on  the  day  which  would  have  been  the  day  of  a  like 
jubilee  for  my  beloved  father,  had  Providence  not 
previously  taken  him  from  his  family.  I  wrote  in 
the  midst  of  other  work,  and  the  signs  of  haste,  all 
too  apparent,  decided  me  to  issue  an  edition  of  a 
few  copies  only.  I  could  not,  however,  resist  an  un- 
expected inducement  to  publish  a  new  edition ;  for 
I  hoped,  by  this  modest  effort,  to  win  over  a  young 
man  here  and  there  to  the  glorious  calling,  which  I 
find  each  day  is  the  very  center  of  the  happiness  of 
my  life  and  my  work. 

For  this  edition  I  have  again  to  ask  the  reader's 
indulgence,  as  I  have  not  had  the  leisure  required 
for  revision.  However,  the  book  was  planned  to  be 
merely  an  outline,  not  a  textbook  of  bibliothecal 
science.  For  that  reason  all  details,  and  the  whole 
chapter  on  acquisitions,  have  been  omitted.  I  have 
endeavored,  avoiding  mere  theorizing,  to  give  the 
most  essential  points  of  my  experience,  acquired  in 
two  libraries  of  widely  differing  character,  during 
the  course  of  seven  years.  A  comprehensive  text- 
book, based  upon  purely  practical  principles,  is  one 
of  my  plans  for  the  future.  But  I  would  gladly  yield 
the  task  to  someone  of  more  experience,  who  should 
come  forth  as  a  teacher,  if  such  an  one  would  but 
present  himself. 


i 


"  Of  the  making  of  many  books  there  is  no  end  ", 
lamented  King  Solomon,  the  wise,  although  he  lived 
in  an  age  when  bookmarts,  stereotypes  and  the 
"  Industriecomtoir  "  were  all  unknown.  This  say- 
ing furnishes  a  text  upon  which  the  librarian,  whose 
work  increases  and  becomes  more  difficult  in  the 
same  degree  in  which  the  daily  output  of  books 
grows,  might  undertake  to  enlarge. 

Men  in  other  learned  professions,  more  honored 
and  respected,  may  facilitate  their  task  by  sweeping 
into  the  dust  of  oblivion  all  that  has  become  anti- 
quated and  obsolete.  But  it  is  the  duty  of  the  libra- 
rian to  preserve  everything,  even  what  has  been 
abandoned  by  workers  in  their  several  fields  of 
learning,  to  coordinate  and  unify  opposing  forces 
and  to  guard  and  care  for  all  with  equal  respect  and 
affection.  Thus  the  librarian  may  ( according  to  the 
precept  of  the  honest  Theophrastus  Paracelsus) 
employ  the  proverb :    "  Such  as  are  within  the  town 


FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 


wall  may  have  cold  or  warmth  as  they  desire ;  those 
who  follow  the  arts  would  lack  shade  were  it  not  for 
the  tree." 

While  on  the  one  hand  all  his  energies  are  engaged 
in  one  direction,  on  the  other  he  must  observe  that 
he  has  recently  been  put  in  a  position  altogether 
different  from  that  which  he  formerly  occupied— a 
position  which  can  be  agreeable  to  but  few.  With 
the  changed  character  of  study,  with  the  prevail- 
ing inclination  for  independent  research  and  free 
creation,  with  general  endeavor  to  work  out  inde- 
pendently what  aforetime  was  only  collected  and, 
finally,  with  the  creation  of  a  great  mass  of  literary 
work,  he  has  ceased  to  be  the  oracle  for  young  and 
old  which  he  formerly  was.  Estranged  from  active 
life  and  prevented  from  taking  part  in  it,  there  re- 
mains only  the  archivist  to  whom  he  may  turn  for 
consolation— a  fellow-recluse  to  whom  likewise 
nobody  cares  to  address  himself  nowadays  for  veri- 
fication of  deductions. 

It  is  indeed  remarkable  that  even  the  latest  writers 
on  library  science,  professional  librarians,  have 
had  no  idea  of  this  change.  In  our  time,  with  its 
mania  for  systemization,  when  writers  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  put  forward  as  a  scientific  principle  every 
idea  caught  on  the  wing,  library  science  could  not 
fail  to  be  distinguished  by  such  a  principle.  They 
think  that  they  have  discovered  this  principle  in 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN 


quick  finding,  as  if  the  art  of  the  hbrarian  con- 
sisted merely  of  systematic  arrangement  and  not 
also  of  administration.  One  could  wish  that  this 
piece  of  sapience  had  been  expressed  somewhat  less 
pretentiously.  This  so-called  principle,  inadequate 
and  one-sided  even  in  the  earlier  state  of  library 
science,  is  certainly  poverty-stricken  in  our  time. 
The  altered  scope  and  character  of  study  has  given 
to  our  endeavors  a  much  wider  field,  and  to  the 
demands  of  earlier  times  are  added  new  and  for- 
merly unknown  ones  which  now  exact  from  us  all 
our  self-denial. 

Nowadays  the  activity  of  the  librarian  belongs 
largely  to  posterity,  for  which  he  must  be  a  faithful 
and  wise  recorder.  His  intercourse  with  his  con- 
temporaries is  for  the  most  part  merely  mechanical. 
For  posterity,  he  ought  to  collect  from  his  own  and 
earlier  times  what  he  considers  worth  while  after 
mature  deliberation  and  unprejudiced  examination. 
And  for  posterity,  he  should  classify  what  he  has 
collected,  according  to  principles  likely  to  be  perma- 
nent. Not  a  little  courage  is  needed  to  plant  and 
care  for  a  seed  the  joyous  harvest  of  which  he  shall 
not  see. 

Yet,  it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  great  self-denial  is 
required  to  resign  the  task  of  creation  on  one's  own 
account  that  one  may  laboriously  and  unnoticed 
prepare  materials  for  the  future  work  of  others.  But 


FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 


we  thereby  obtain  a  higher  position,  our  endeavors 
gain  a  more  deserving  and  satisfying  direction,  our 
activities  a  more  lasting  value. 

Librarians  in  Germany,  where  the  love  for  rich 
private  collections  decreases  more  and  more,  will  in 
the  same  degree,  become  more  and  more  the  con- 
necting link  between  former  ages  and  posterity. 
This  increases  the  importance  of  their  duty  and  their 
obligation  for  a  more  careful  training  in  their  call- 
ing. Therefore  anyone  who  chooses  to  devote  him- 
self entirely  to  this  profession  should  first  scrutinize 
himself— honestly  and  conscientiously— to  learn 
whether  he  can  and  will  perform  what  is  demanded 
of  him,  if  not  literally  by  written  instructions,  cer- 
tainly by  the  importance  of  the  office  itself  and  by 
his  own  sense  of  duty. 

The  librarian's  fitness  for  the  special  and  particu- 
lar duties  of  his  profession  is  based,  as  in  any  other 
profession,  upon  a  thorough  education.  His  profes- 
sion differs  from  others  in  that  his  knowledge 
should  be  as  comprehensive  and  diversified  as  pos- 
sible. No  scholar  can  neglect  a  thorough  study  of 
Greek  and  Latin ;  but  the  librarian  must  also  master 
French,  English,  and  Italian.  Perhaps  in  less  than 
half  a  century  an  equal  knowledge  of  Spanish  and 
Portuguese  will  be  indispensable.  With  regard  to 
the  other  occidental  languages  he  must  acquire  the 
ability  to  satisfy,  with  the  help  of  a  good  grammar 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN 


and  dictionary,  at  least  the  demands  of  the  moment. 
A  knowledge  of  the  oriental  languages  can  hardly 
be  expected  of  him  on  account  of  their  difficulties 
and  the  rare  cases  in  which  they  are  needed ;  but 
some  knowledge  of  the  easier  Hebrew  will  often  be 
serviceable. 

A  deep  and  serious  study  of  history  in  its  higher 
aspect,  as  the  science  of  sciences,  the  basis  and  rule 
of  all  true  learning,  yes,  even  of  life  itself,  is  indis- 
pensable. All  the  more  so  as  his  office  is  an  historical 
one. 

He  who  desires  to  work  for  posterity  must,  in 
a  certain  sense,  I  say  it  without  arrogance,  stand 
above  his  contemporaries.  He  must,  while  not  ob- 
livious to  the  phenomena  of  his  time,  never  incline 
to  servile  one-sidedness  nor  obscure  his  judgment 
by  yielding  to  tendencies  and  prejudices  which  are 
local  and  contemporary.  This  is  all  the  more  nec- 
essary in  a  time  when  nearly  all  the  sciences  are  at 
a  crisis,  which  has  driven  them  from  their  historical 
paths  and  has  thrown  them  upon  the  high  waves  of 
opinion  and  ever-renewing  forms  of  the  day. 

Literary  history  and  bibliography  claim  a  very 
great  part  of  the  librarian's  preparatory  studies. 
These  two  sciences  influence  his  work  to  such  a 
degree  that  he  must  have  more  than  an  ordinary  or 
compendious  knowledge  of  both.  The  same  is  true 
of  diplomatics  as  far  as  it  concerns  manuscripts.  He 


FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 


will  rarely  have  occasion  to  acquire  a  practical 
knowledge  of  this  latter  science  before  his  actual 
entrance  into  his  profession,  but  he  must  bring  with 
him  a  good  theoretical  foundation.  Some  knowl- 
edge of  art,  at  least  as  far  as  etching  and  engraving 
go,  becomes  from  year  to  year  more  necessary  for 
the  librarian. 

Finally,  he  may  close  the  circle  of  his  studies  with 
the  encyclopedia,  not  indeed  in  order  to  chat  vain- 
gloriously  about  everything  from  the  Cedar  of  Leba- 
non to  the  hyssop  creeping  along  the  wall,  but  to 
acquire  an  equal  regard  for  and  interest  in  every 
department  of  human  knowledge.  Without  these 
he  would  become  guilty  of  the  most  deplorable 
one-sidedness  in  his  collecting.  Furthermore,  he 
will  thereby  acquire  a  sound  knowledge  of  the  scope, 
the  character,  and  the  limitation  of  the  different 
sciences,  as  well  as  their  relation  to  one  another. 
Such  knowledge  he  will  require  hourly  in  his  work 
of  classification. 

Of  the  accomplishments  which  he  must  not  neg- 
lect to  practice,  it  may  suffice  to  mention  only  mem- 
ory. If  a  good  memory  for  titles,  names  and  figures 
is  indispensable  to  greater  facility  in  his  work,  it  is 
even  more  necessary  to  have  a  good  memory  for 
locations ;  the  librarian  who  always  needs  his  cata- 
logue in  order  to  find  what  he  seeks  is  indeed  a  man 
to  be  pitied ! 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN 


A  neat,  clear,  yet  very  rapid  handwriting  is  also 
necessary,  and  he  should  not  consider  some  degree 
of  manual  dexterity  beneath  his  dignity.  The 
librarian  who  has  learned  to  help  himself  will 
often  save  troublesome  delays  in  large  as  well  as 
small  libraries.  If  he  is  obliged  to  send  for  the  book- 
binder for  every  loose  leaf  or  for  the  carpenter  when 
a  shelf  is  in  wrong  position,  he  will  often  find  his 
work  unpleasantly  interrupted ;  not  to  mention  other 
disadvantages  to  which  his  ignorance  subjects  the 
library,  as  these  artisans  will  have  to  work  under 
his  supervision  and  even  according  to  his  direction. 

What  then  has  he  gained  by  all  these  acquire- 
ments and  abilities  ?  Nothing  more — and  this  can- 
not be  often  enough  repeated— than  the  possibility 
of  becoming  a  fairly  efficient  librarian.  These  are 
only  the  preliminary  studies.  Just  as  the  lawyer 
who  has  had  the  most  thorough  education  is  not 
necessarily  a  good  practitioner,  even  though  a  true 
j  urist,  so  these  studies  make  nothing  more  than  an 
able  litterateur.  With  all  his  literary  knowledge  the 
librarian  might  be  unfit  for  the  practical  adminis- 
tration of  a  library.  Would  that  this  might  be  taken 
to  heart  more  than  heretofore !  I  have  never  read 
a  biography  of  a  librarian  where  the  statement  was 
not  made  that  in  entering  upon  his  position  he  found 
the  library  wholly  or  partly  in  disorder.  Then  fol- 
lows a  relation  of  all  he  has  done  to  rectify  this 


10  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

condition,  if  his  ordinary  activity  permits  him  to 
touch  upon  this  point.  No  doubt  a  biography  of  his 
successor  would  in  most  cases  begin  in  the  same 
melancholy  strain. 

Indeed,  these  things  furnish  a  great  lesson  and  a 
serious  warning  to  librarians  to  begin  work  pur- 
posefully and  according  to  a  plan ;  and  they  should 
supply  a  strong  incentive  to  the  youth,  who  wishes 
to  devote  himself  to  this  noble  profession,  to  prepare 
himself  properly  for  this  future  administrative 
work.  What  is  lacking  in  this  particular  can  rarely 
be  fully  made  up  when  in  office  and  never  without 
disadvantage  to  the  library. 

This  careful  preparation  for  library  administra- 
tion, however,  must  not  commence  with  the  study 
of  text  books  on  library  science,  such  as  we  have 
at  present.  On  the  contrary,  the  apprentice  must 
carefully  avoid  these  books,  for  they  are  decid- 
edly injurious.  There  are  two  dangerous  extremes 
to  be  avoided:  coarse,  lifeless  mechanicalness 
(unsystematic,  disorderly  placing  of  books,  fixed 
locations  on  certain  shelves,  even  definite  places  on 
one  shelf  *)  and  superfine  theory  ( hair-splitting  and 


*  A  system  formerly  used  in  the  South-German  Monastic 
libraries,  and  (  according  to  Adler)  even  today  in  the  Imperial 
Library  of  Vienna.  Each  book  is  given  a  number  or  letter  for 
the  case,  shelf  and  position  on  the  shelf  and  remains  forever  in 
its  place.   All  later  additions  are  placed  in  a  new  case. 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN 


impracticable  systematizing).  The  latest  German 
manual*  places  both  these  extremes  in  juxtaposition 
and  tries,  though  they  continue  at  the  same  dis- 
tance apart,  to  make  a  connection  between  them,  an 
attempt  fruitless  and  incongruous,  which  is  very 
confusing  to  the  inexperienced  apprentice. 

Therefore  the  apprentice  should  for  the  present 
avoid  all  such  books  and  confine  himself  to  the 
study  of  technical  arrangement  of  a  good  catalogue. 
Francke's  Catalogue  ( of  Bunau )  and  Audiffredi's 
(of  Casana )  are  especially  to  be  recommended ;  the 
former  as  a  model  of  a  classified,  the  latter  as  a 
dictionary  catalogue,  both  of  them  unsurpassed  in 
their  way.  Here  he  can  see  how  titles  should  be 
copied  t  and  can  acquire  that  exactness  which  the 
librarian  must  observe,  down  to  the  smallest  detail, 
in  work  of  this  kind.  Here  he  can  find  what  has  to 
be  extracted  for  each  of  these  purposes  and  how. 


•  Mr.  M.  Schrettinger's  textbook  contains,  in  spite  of  the 
faulty  arrangement  of  the  whole,  many  good  points  gleaned  from 
practical  experience,  and  I  owe  much  to  its  study.  I  gladly 
admit  that  I  consider  it  a  book  which  every  librarian  needs,  and 
as  frankly  presume  that  its  author  now,  after  twelve  years,  has 
altered  his  opinion  about  many  questions. 


t  Francke  is  a  better  guide  in  this  than  Audiffredi ;  the  latter 
sometimes  takes  liberties  in  making  explanatory  changes  in  the 
titles. 


FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 


Here,  too,  he  may  learn  the  arrangement  necessary 
for  each  of  these  two  kinds  of  catalogue. 

He  should  begin  study  with  Audiffredi  and  not 
take  up  Francke's  classified  catalogue  until  he  is  fully 
familiar  with  the  demands  of  a  dictionary  catalogue 
and  also  well  informed  concerning  the  principles 
which  govern  the  entry  of  anonymous  and  pseu- 
donymous books.  When  he  has  studied  these  two 
catalogues  carefully  enough  to  be  able  to  deduce 
the  principles  upon  which  they  are  based,  he  should 
compare  them  with  other  catalogues  in  order  to  get 
a  clear  idea  of  the  excellence  of  these  two  masters. 
He  may  compare  Audiffredi  first  with  the  Bar- 
berini,  the  Bodleian,  or  the  new  Upsala  Catalogues.* 
He  will  thus  find  from  his  own  observation  which 
is  the  better  and  why. 

After  he  has  observed  these  differences  and 
learned  to  form  an  opinion  of  their  value  or  worth- 
lessness,  he  may  advance  to  the  more  difficult  task 
of  comparing  several  classified  catalogues  or  (as 
there  are  but  few  of  these)  other  scientifically 
arranged  catalogues.  He  should  begin  with  the 
German  ones  and  study  that  of  Sartori  ( cat.  bibl. 
Theresianae),  J.  Burch,  Mencke,  J.  P.  von  Ludewig, 
Euchar.  Gli.  Rinck  ( interesting  from  the  librarian's 
point  of  view ) ;  Fr.  C.  Conradi,  Roloff  and  others, 

•  I  wrote  an  appreciation  of  the  latter  in  the  Jenaisch.  Litt. 
Zeit.    1817,  Ergänzbl.   Bd.  2  Num.  71. 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN 


comparing  them  with  Francke.  The  catalogue  of 
E.  G.  Becker  ( Dresden,  1773 )  and  the  great  Dres- 
den Catalogue  of  duplicates  of  1775  should  also  be 
considered ;  the  former  is  entirely  and  the  latter  in 
part  the  work  of  Francke's  master  hand. 

After  this  the  student  should  take  in  hand  the 
systematic  catalogues  of  other  nations,  each  of 
which  has  its  own  system.  The  Harleian,  the  Impe- 
rial, Pinelli's,  Thott's,  and  the  French  ones  of 
De  Thou,  of  the  brothers  Martin  and  of  the  Royal 
Library  of  Paris  and  both  parts  of  Valliere  may  be 
particularly  mentioned.  Here  the  national  character- 
istics of  arrangement  should  be  discovered,  com- 
pared with  the  principles  followed  in  Germany,  and 
the  student  should  then  attempt  to  form  his  own 
judgment. 

From  these  general  catalogues  he  should  advance 
to  those  which  contain  rich  collections  in  certain 
classes  and  examine  their  classification,  for  instance 
the  Banks  Catalogue  of  Natural  History  of  Dryan- 
der  or  the  Medical  Catalogue  by  Platner,  1748,  and 
Baldinger,  etc.  The  literature  of  the  different 
sciences  may  be  also  utilized  for  this  purpose. 

Thus  prepared  he  may  make  his  own  attempts. 
He  may  copy  on  slips  of  paper  the  titles  of  books  on 
different  subjects  which  appear  in  all  these  cata- 
logues. He  may  then  mix  up  these  slips  of  paper 
and  rearrange  them  according  to  his  own  judgment, 


14  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

afterwards  looking  up  these  books  in  the  different 
catalogues  and  seeing  how  they  are  arranged  there.* 

After  he  has  practiced  this  long  enough  to  be  able 
to  place  specific  subjects  or  such  as  belong  to  more 
than  one  class,  he  should  work  out  clearly  his  prin- 
ciples of  arrangement  and  endeavor  to  arrange 
them  in  systematic  sequence.  He  must  proceed 
according  to  the  historical  method,  i.  e.,  he  must 
note  what  is  national  or  local  or  contemporary  or 
perhaps  merely  individual  in  the  arrangement  of 
these  German  and  foreign  catalogues  (not  even 
excepting  that  of  Francke).  He  must  avoid  every- 
thing which  is  subject  to  change  in  other  times  and 
places,  as  he  is  aiming  at  the  acquisition  of  a  perma- 
nent, invariable,  general  rule. 

There  will  always  remain  national  differences  in 
certain  divisions  of  the  sciences.  The  French,  for 
instance,  will  never  give  up  their  class  of  Sciences 
et  Art.  Enough  would  be  gained  if  German  libra- 
rians at  least  could  agree  upon  a  generally  accepta- 
ble system.  As  the  matter  stands  now  each  German 
library  has  its  own  arrangement,  good  or  bad,  and 
no  librarian  can  find  his  way  in  the   library  of 


•  But  he  must  not  file  according  to  the  literal  wording  of  the 
titles,  putting  Wolfe's  Museum  der  Alterthumswissenschaf t  under 
Antiques,  or  Thomae  Cantipratensis  bonum  universale  de  pro- 
prietatibus  apum  amongst  the  writers  on  bees,  or  even  Dormi 
secure  with  Dietetics. 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  15 

another.  Such  a  generally  acceptable  system  can 
hardly  be  thought  of  as  long  as  each  library  uses 
a  system  obtained  a  priori  in  purely  theoretical 
fashion. 

But  might  it  not  be  easier  to  effect  a  practical 
understanding?  We  should  remember  the  present 
historical  character  of  libraries  and  honestly  accept 
the  fact  that  they  are  no  longer  institutions  which 
are  destined  to  affect  directly  and  immediately  the 
actual  life  of  the  day,  as,  for  instance,  do  schools  and 
universities.  They  have  come  to  be  merely  scien- 
tific archives  for  future  generations,  and  it  goes 
without  saying  that  their  arrangement  should  not 
be  ruled  by  the  opinions  of  the  day.  It  should  be 
such  that  even  with  changed  systems  our  descend- 
ants can  easily  find  everything  and  can  continue  our 
plan  of  work. 

This  can  be  brought  about  by  observing  the 
following  principles:  (1)  Everything  should  be 
based  as  far  as  possible  upon  historical  division, 
because  this  is  so  closely  related  to  life  that  even 
when  antiquated  it  will  be  more  easily  remembered 
than  obsolete,  encyclopedic  and  systematic  arrange- 
ment. (2)  All  ideal,  artificial  and  too  abstract 
division  must  be  carefully  avoided  while  the  prac- 
tical and  homogeneous  should  be  brought  together 
as  closely  as  possible.  This  is  the  difference  between 
philosophical  and  bibliothecal  systematization.   In 


16  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

the  former  the  different  parts  of  the  edifice  of 
human  knowledge  are  dismembered  and  analyzed 
and  the  framework  lies  open.  In  the  latter  they 
appear  in  close  proximity,  united  and  in  organic 
connection  and  for  the  general  economy  of  the 
whole. 

This  connection  with  life,  its  facts  and  relations, 
is  of  the  very  essence  of  these  institutions,  which 
after  all  are  intended  for  life  and  its  demands, 
although  it  may  not  be  the  life  of  today. 

(3)  But  in  this  accommodation,  and  approach  to 
life,  one  must  not  condescend  too  much  to  tempo- 
rary or  individual  views.  Formerly  librarians  ( even 
Francke)  could  not  find  a  better  place  for  Egyptian 
hieroglyphics  than  the  chapters  on  abbreviations  of 
the  ancients.  Modem  librarians  are  inclined  to  place 
them  in  much  higher  rank  and  to  give  them  a  degree 
of  importance  in  strong  contrast  to  the  former 
underestimation. 

Again  the  law  student  will  often  look  for  a  book 
in  an  altogether  different  place  from  that  in  which 
the  philosopher,  historian  or  philologist  will  expect 
to  find  it.  In  such  cases  the  librarian  must  choose 
an  arrangement  which  comes  as  near  as  possible  to 
the  point  of  view  of  each  of  these  persons. 

(4)  Too  little  as  well  as  too  much  classifying 
should  be  avoided.  The  boundary  of  a  library  sys- 
tem is  only  too  easily  passed  and  we  destroy  our 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  17 

own  edifice  as  soon  as  we  wander  away  into  the 
field  of  philosophical  systematizing. 

On  the  other  hand  we  must  not  be  so  faint- 
hearted as  to  place  one  book  after  another  on  the 
shelves  for  miscellanies.  How  much  there  is  in  most 
libraries  in  this  class  which  could  be  placed  else- 
where ! — for  example,  in  the  history  of  civilization,  a 
class  heretofore  neglected  by  nearly  all  library 
classifications. 

( 5 )  Not  the  form  but  the  contents  should  decide 
the  classification.  Many  librarians  place  all  epistles 
scrupulously  in  epistolography,  even  if  they  relate 
only  to  one  specific  subject  and  have  nothing  else 
in  common  with  a  letter  save  the  beginning  and  the 
ending.  The  form  is  often  so  unessential  and,  re- 
garded as  form,  of  so  little  value,  that  most  books 
would  be  greatly  wronged  if  treated  from  this 
point  of  view.  It  is  better,  therefore,  not  to  class 
special  travels  by  themselves,  but  rather  with  geo- 
graphical, statistical  and  historical  works  on  each 
country.  There  are  descriptions  of  real  journeys 
which  are  not  written  in  the  ordinary  diary  form  of 
travel.  Then  there  are  other  books,  entitled  travels, 
which  contain  nothing  but  continuous  descriptions 
of  a  country,  divided  into  distinct  parts.  ( An  ex- 
ample of  the  former  is  Beckmann's  Literatur  der 
Reisebeschreibungen  1, 114. )  Why  lose  oneself  in 
petty  distinctions  which  lead  to  nothing  and  only 


18  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

make  the  arrangement,  finding,  and  care  of  the 
books  more  difficult  ? 

(6)  With  freedom  in  classification  should  be 
united  a  persistent  avoidance  of  all  arbitrary  de- 
cisions. 

No  special  feature  or  unimportant  fact  should  pre- 
vent us  from  firmly  adhering  to  our  plan,  to  the 
end  that  our  work  be  not  rendered  wholly  or  partly 
useless  through  a  possible  future  elimination  of 
difficulties  or  through  a  new  arrangement. 

However,  this  independence  of  external  influ- 
ences must  not  degenerate  into  arbitrariness.  The 
librarian  must  strictly  adhere  to  what  he  himself 
recognizes  as  law,  otherwise  there  can  be  no  library 
science.  The  principle  of  Denis  (Bibliographie  I, 
259),  "  A  potiori  fit  denominatio  ",  must  be  rejected. 
Every  librarian  has,  like  every  scholar,  a  "  potius  ", 
and  what  is  to  become  of  all  these  "  potioribus  "  ? 

After  this  more  general  preparation  for  library 
work  the  apprentice  should  take  up  a  few  special 
subjects  and  learn  from  good  examples  how  incuna- 
bula, engravings  on  copper,  wood-cuts,  or  special 
copies  are  to  be  entered  and  described. 

In  connection  with  this  study  he  should  practice 
making  these  entries.  I  would  recommend  for  this 
the  use  of  French  or  English  works  only.  These 
must  be  our  teachers  in  everything  concerning 
practical  bibliography.    The   German  books  and 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  19 

catalogs  are  in  this  respect  so  inaccurate  that  there 
are  many  which  consider  an  "exemplaire  imprime 
sur  veHn"  or  the  "Vellum  books"  of  the  English 
as  copies  on  vellum  paper ! 

The  student  will  do  well  to  make  himself  familiar, 
in  connection  with  these  matters,  with  the  technical 
bibliographical  terms  of  the  French,  English  and 
Italians.  Thus  he  will  learn,  for  example,  that  re- 
clames, richiami  and  catchwords  are  our  Custoden ; 
that  pontuseaux  are  our  Wassermarke  or  lines  im- 
pressed in  the  paper  itself;  that  proof  impressions 
are  our  Abdrucke ;  block-books,  our  xylographische 
Drücke ;  black-letter-types,  our  Gothic  Buchstaben ; 
that  the  registre  of  the  French  is  neither  a  table  of 
contents  nor  an  alphabetical  index  ( both  of  which 
are  by  the  French  called  merely  "  tables  ")  but  our 
Lagenregister  (register  of  signatures)  of  early 
printers;  that  the  term  "round  letters"  is  some- 
times used  in  contradistinction  to  the  term  "  gothic 
letters  ",  and  sometimes  means  simply  "  round  "  or 
so-called  "Roman"  letters;  that  it  is  also  used  to 
distinguish  the  opposite  of  "Italic"  (or  cursive) 
and  again  to  mean  our  own  "  Antiqua  &c. 

The  student  should  also  make  himself  familiar 
with  the  Baudini  catalogs  of  manuscripts,  which  are 
models  of  their  kind,  and  form  worthy  supplements 
to  those  of  Francke  and  Audiffredi. 

After  this  he  may  make  more  extensive  attempts 


20  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

at  designating  and  arranging  his  own  books  or  other 
private  collections.  He  will  find  that  differences 
in  size  do  not  permit  the  arrangement  of  the  books 
on  the  shelves  in  exactly  the  order  in  which  they 
ought  to  appear  in  a  well  laid  out,  systematic  cata- 
log, and  he  will  feel  the  need  of  separate  order  or 
shelf  lists  or  of  special  catalogs  showing  location. 
He  must  not  be  misled  into  the  belief  that  the  or- 
der of  shelving  should  be  based  upon  a  system  alto- 
gether different  from  the  one  used  for  the  catalog. 

The  same  system  may  be  used  for  both  with 
slight  modifications  for  books  of  each  size  to  facili- 
tate the  finding  of  books  of  the  several  sizes.  It 
is  suflficient  to  plan  for  three  sizes  only.  There 
is  no  need  to  separate  the  octavo  books  from 
the  smaller  ones  ( especially  in  the  case  of  French 
books)  which  do  not  differ  from  them  very  much 
in  size. 

The  most  serious  objection  which  was  made  to 
the  systematic  arrangement  of  books  (that  first 
condition  of  the  use  of  the  librarian's  genuine  mem- 
ory for  position )  was  the  diflSculty  of  giving  case 
or  shelf  marks  to  books  added  later.  Explicit  refuta- 
tion of  particular  objections  cannot  find  room  here. 
But  the  whole  subject  has  lately  been  so  violently 
debated,  and  one  of  the  most  important  divisions  of 
library  economy  has  been  so  greatly  endangered 
(especially  as  nothing  better  has  been  offered  in 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN 


place  of  the  so-called  "  miserable  patchwork  "  than 
a  very  clumsy  and  unsatisfactory  mechanical  ar- 
rangement) that  some  directions  based  upon  prac- 
tical experience  may  be  welcome  to  the  beginner. 

First  of  all  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish  between 
large  and  small  libraries.  A  small  library,  poor  in 
funds,  which  does  not  make  large  purchases,  does 
not  require  frequent  insertion  of  marks,  and  finds 
that  letters  of  the  alphabet  are  sufficient.  If  through 
a  gift  a  large  number  of  books  is  added,  insertions 
need  not  take  place,  because  the  catalogs  of  the 
divisions  enriched  by  the  gift  must  be  rewritten, 
and  perhaps  the  scheme  of  the  library  here  and 
there  enlarged,  making  a  renumbering  of  them 
unavoidable.  In  a  large  and  richly  endowed  library 
the  increase  in  any  one  class  will  not  be  excessive, 
and  new  acquisitions  will  be  widely  scattered  as  the 
library  will  already  have  books  on  their  several  sub- 
jects. 

When  at  times  a  certain  subject  is  much  dis- 
cussed ( mnemonics.  Gall's  theory,  magnetism,  and 
especially  the  latest  political  history, )  the  librarian 
need  only  proceed  according  to  the  following  rules : 

( 1 )  Every  single  work,  no  matter  in  how  many 
volumes,  receives  only  one  number. 

(2)  For  insertions,  only  the  small  letters  of  the 
Roman  alphabet  should  be  used.  Alphabets  of  other 
languages,  algebraic  and   arithmetical    fractions. 


22  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

and  especially  all  arbitrary  signs,  like  *  and  t  found 
in  French  and  Dutch  catalogs,  must  be  strictly 
avoided. 

(3)  Unnecessary  repetition  of  inserted  letters 
should  be  guarded  against.  There  are  some  libra- 
rians who,  after  they  have  come  to  the  letter/ or ^, 
begin  again  with  aa,  bb,  and  prefer  to  write  aaaa 
instead  of  z.  Not  only  does  such  an  arrangement 
exclude  the  possibility  of  inserting  new  books 
between  those  already  inserted,  but  will  soon  ex- 
haust the  supply  of  marks. 

(4)  Ordinarily  when  one  inserts  a  new  book 
between  two  books  already  marked  with  letters,  he 
will,  for  that  book,  double,  treble,  &c.,  the  letter 
attached  to  the  number  of  the  book  that  precedes 
the  new  one  on  the  shelf.  This  letter  cannot  be 
used  more  than  five  times,  however,  without  caus- 
ing confusion.  When  a  great  deal  is  written  upon 
a  subject  within  a  very  short  time,  this  method 
is  likely  to  be  insufficient,  as  only  four  books  can 
be  inserted  between  13a  and  13b,  not  to  mention 
the  inconvenience  of  such  a  repetition.  In  the 
library  in  which  I  have  the  good  fortune  to  be 
stationed  I  have  introduced  another  notation  for 
insertions  which  the  following  example  will  explain : 

Ordinarily,  additions  are  marked  thus : 

13a,  13aa,  13aaa,  13aaaa,  13aaaaa. 
13b,  13bb,  13bbb,  13bbbb,  13bbbbb,  etc. 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  23 

I  mark  in  this  way : 

13a,  13aa,  ISab,  ISac,  etc.,  up  to  13az ; 
13b,  13ba,  13bb,  13bc,  13bd,  etc.,  to  13bz, 
13c,  13ca,  13cb,  etc. 

Thus  I  can,  without  using  more  than  two  letters, 
and  in  a  clear  and  comprehensible  manner,  without 
any  danger  of  confusion,  insert  between  13a  and 
13b,  25  books,  and  between  13  and  14  not  less  than 
625  books,  a  case  which  will  rarely  occur  even  in 
the  most  rapidly  growing  library.  To  carry  this 
method  still  further  and  use  13ab  and  13ac  would 
be  useless,  as  the  homogeneous  material  will 
already  be  close  enough  together. 

Attentive  reading  of  writings  on  libraries  and 
frequent  visits  to  the  library  of  his  town  are  really 
the  keystone  of  the  librarian's  preparatory  training. 
He  should  notice  the  shelving  of  books  and  train 
his  eye  to  the  calculation  of  the  most  advantageous 
use  of  a  given  locality.  He  may  now  go  forth  and 
seek  a  larger  field  of  activity.  Thus  prepared,  all 
discerning  library  authorities  will  listen  to  him  with 
attention  and  every  librarian  who  respects  his  pro- 
fession will  receive  him  into  true  fellowship. 

When  he  has  finally  found  the  position  he  desires 
he  must  first  of  all  become  fully  acquainted  with 
the  actual  present  condition  and  arrangement  of 
his  library  and  begin  to  practice  the  small  daily 
duties  of  management.  This  should  be  followed  by 


24  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

a  careful  study  of  the  history  and  former  organiza- 
tion of  the  Hbrary.  To  this  end  he  should  study  his 
archives  and  in  the  absence  thereof  he  might  con- 
sider a  plan  to  establish  them.  He  may  examine 
old,  disused  catalogs  and  notice  their  variations 
from  the  present  ones,  as  the  former  often  serve  as 
an  explanation  of  the  latter. 

He  should  learn  to  know  the  handwriting  of  his 
predecessors  and  that  of  all  persons  in  any  way 
connected  with  the  library  ( for  example,  previous 
owners  of  acquired  collections).  From  exterior 
marks,  shelf  numbers,  library  marks,  handwriting 
of  former  owners,  certain  bindings,  or  peculiarities 
of  bindings,  he  can  obtain  such  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  the  library  in  all  its  departments  that  he 
will  be  able  to  tell  to  which  acquisition  any  book 
belongs.* 

Though  all  these  directions  may  seem  pedantic 
to  some,  their  application  is  more  important  than  is 

*  Thus  Chardon  de  la  Rochette  proves,  in  his  Melanges  I,  283, 
that  certain  MSS.  scholiae  to  the  Anthology,  which  are  in  a  copy 
in  the  Royal  Library  in  Paris,  cannot  be  by  Biset,  because  some 
have  been  trimmed  off  by  the  binder,  and  the  binding  is  of  the 
time  of  Henry  II,  between  1549-59,  when  Biset  was  very  young. 
This  shows  that  the  historical  data  about  various  bindings 
in  the  Royal  Library  at  Paris  in  the  Essai  historique  sur  la  bibl. 
du  roi,  p.  262  ff.  are  of  very  great  service.  Thus  also  Engel  gave 
Panzer  much  trouble  with  inexact  statements  in  his  catalog  (com- 
pare Deutsche  Annal.  I,  122,  no.  157 )  and  many  of  his  statements 
found  their  way  into  bibliographical  works.  These  errors  may 
only  be  corrected  if  the  Engel  copies  in  the  Dresden  Library  are 
recognized.  Compare  also  my  Bibliographisches  Lexicon  under 
Apuleius,  no.  874,  Burley,  no.  3182. 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  25 

apparent.  Only  thus  will  the  librarian  obtain  true 
intimacy  with  his  institution  and  learn  to  feel  at 
home  in  it.  Only  thus  can  he  acquire  a  true  and 
never-failing  memory  for  location  and  for  a  number 
of  details  which  will  equip  him  all  the  better  for 
performing  his  duties  and  give  him  that  practical 
sense,  which  directs  all  his  knowledge  and  skill, 
without  which  no  worthy  and  successful  career  is 
possible.  Only  thus  can  he  learn  to  be  on  his  guard 
against  that  impetuous  longing  for  change  and  in- 
novation which  is  certainly  more  harmful  in  libra- 
ries than  anywhere  else. 

At  first,  however,  he  should  work  under  the 
supervision  and  guidance  of  his  colleagues,  who 
have  been  longer  in  the  library,  not  deviating  one 
step  from  the  customary  routine.  He  must  devote 
special  attention  to  the  arrangement  of  books  on 
shelves  of  the  library ;  must  learn  to  know  the  build- 
ing by  frequent  and  careful  measurements,  note 
those  book-cases  or  rooms  which  are  not  used  to  the 
best  advantage,  and  note  those  classes  which  have 
peculiarities  of  size.  Bibles,  Apostolic  Fathers, 
councils  and  scholastic  theology  need  chiefly  folio 
and  few  octavo  shelves.  For  belles-lettres,  the 
drama  and  several  of  the  modern  sciences,  one 
folio-shelf  as  a  rule  is  sufficient;  but  they  need 
more  space  for  the  small  sizes.  Antiquities,  natural 
history,  plastic  art  and  architecture  need  especially 


26  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

large  folio  shelves.  In  other  classes,  as  for  example 
history,  the  sizes  are  fairly  evenly  divided,  and  in 
the  editions  of  the  classical  writers  the  early  print- 
ters  made  such  good  use  of  the  folios,  the  Dutch  of 
the  quartos,  and  the  other  nations  of  the  smaller 
sizes,  that  there  will  be  little  difficulty  in  the  shelv- 
ing. This  knowledge  will  be  very  useful  to  the 
librarian  when  he  changes  locations  of  books. 

Experience  teaches  us  how  much  can  be  gained 
by  changes  in  location  if  carried  out  indef  atigably 
and  with  skill.  Change  of  location  often  opens  a 
gold  mine,  in  cases  where  space  and  convenience 
are  lacking.  It  often  would  seem  impossible  that 
so  many  more  books  could  be  put  in  the  same 
space,  or  at  least  the  same  number  of  books 
shelved  so  much  better,  if  the  fact  were  not  clearly 
visible. 

But  in  such  attempts  the  librarian  must  be  able 
to  handle  the  books  with  a  certain  skill  so  that  they 
will  not  be  damaged,  and  this  without  losing  speed; 
and  he  must  not  shun  the  labor  of  changing  the 
books  in  a  case,  or  even  in  a  whole  room,  three  or 
more  times,  until  his  purpose  is  finally  effected. 
For  two  reasons,  implied  above,  it  is  necessary  that 
he  do  the  main  work  himself  and  use  the  services 
of  his  janitors  only  occasionally. 

After  he  has  thus  become  acquainted  with  his  sur- 
roundings in  all  their  relations  he  may  choose  for 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  27 

the  subject  of  his  private  study  the  oldest  and 
newest  discussions  of  Hbrary  practice.  A  conflict 
between  practice  and  theory  will  now  begin  within 
him  which  can  have  only  happy  results  for  him  and 
his  sphere  of  activity.  He  has  now  outgrown 
instruction.  He  is  his  own  rule  and  precept  and  is 
now  qualified  to  take  up  the  thread  and  continue 
independently  where  his  predecessor  left  off. 

But  we  cannot  part  with  him  without  directing 
him  to  his  post  with  a  few  good  wishes. 

The  first  concerns  the  planning  of  his  work. 
This  would  be  very  much  furthered  by  his  keeping 
a  separate  official  diary.  Whoever  has  made  him- 
self familiar  with  his  library  in  the  way  described, 
will  have  no  difficulty  in  making  a  plan  for  his  suc- 
ceeding labors,  in  which  he  can  add  the  details 
concerning  any  special  point  which  could  be  im- 
proved. As  it  is  his  duty  when  he  enters  his 
office  each  day  to  have  a  clear  idea  of  the  labors 
of  the  day,  so  it  is  none  the  less  his  duty  to  observe 
at  the  end  of  the  day,  or  at  least  at  the  end  of  the 
week,  how  far  he  has  advanced  in  the  execution 
of  his  plans.  Some  day  this  plan  and  this  diary  will 
be  valuable  treasures  for  his  successors;  and  the  lat- 
ter, by  their  aid  alone,  will  be  able  to  continue  the 
work  exactly  at  the  point  where  he  left  off,  and  in 
the  same  spirit.  How  many  tasks  begun  with  great 
sacrifices  might  have  been  completed,  how  many 


28  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

vain  endeavors  avoided  if  every  library  had  such  a 
record  in  its  archives ! 

Furthermore,  in  making  changes  either  in  part 
or  the  whole,  let  the  librarian  approach  the  work  of 
earlier  times  not  with  complacency  and  unfavorable 
prejudices.  Let  him  look  carefully  for  good  points 
and  try  to  eliminate  defects  without  changing  the 
whole.  But  if  a  thorough  reform  is  absolutely 
necessary,  he  ought  to  devise  a  detailed  and  well- 
thought-out  plan  according  to  which  the  work  shall 
proceed,  one  class  after  the  other,  so  that  the  depart- 
ments not  immediately  affected  can  remain  accessi- 
ble. A  library  which  has  once  been  put  in  order 
ought  not  to  remain  inaccessible  for  a  single  day, 
even  during  the  most  thoroughgoing  reorganization. 

The  librarian  should  take  especial  pains  to  learn 
if  he  has  any  inventive  ability.  Happily,  while  this 
is  in  some  measure  a  gift  of  nature,  yet  it  can  in 
like  measure  be  acquired  by  thorough  applica- 
tion. 

Similarities  can  not  be  discovered  unless  one  has 
in  mind  many  things  to  compare ;  one  cannot  re- 
member things  unless  he  has  implanted  in  his  mind 
things  to  be  remembered.  These  matters  depend 
on  one's  own  exertions.  But,  to  be  able  to  call 
things  to  mind  when  one  needs  them,  to  make  com- 
parisons quickly  with  a  searching  glance  which 
discovers  essentials  —  these  are  purely  the  gifts  of 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  29 

beneficent  nature,  even  though  they  can  be  devel- 
oped by  practice. 

Opportunity  for  developing  these  gifts  can  always 
be  found,  no  matter  how  small  the  number  of  vol- 
umes in  the  library.  Although  we  may  not  write  a 
codex  rescriptus  to  enjoy  the  experience  of  Knit- 
tel  or  Angelo  Mai,  we  may  save  from  a  mass  of 
worthless  papers  a  Berengarius  of  Lessing ;  or  dis- 
cover the  printer  of  heretofore  undeciphered  incu- 
nabula; or  find  important  family  notices  in  old 
Bibles,  or  in  an  Eber's  calendarium ;  or  take  from 
an  old  binding  parts  of  old  manuscripts  or  unknown 
prints. 

To  take  an  extreme  case,  even  the  most  worth- 
less manuscript  gives  an  opportunity  for  the  exact 
definition  of  a  diplomatic  rule ;  the  most  wretched 
book  a  contribution  to  Jöcher,  or  to  the  history  of 
printing,  or  to  the  history  of  bookbinding. 

Indeed,  the  words  "  Seek  and  ye  shall  find  "  are 
especially  applicable  to  the  field  of  library  work. 
The  librarian  should  be  an  Argus  with  a  hundred 
eyes  and  search,  sometimes  with  and  sometimes 
without  design,  into  all  departments  of  his  library, 
taking  notes  of  all  that  he  brings  back  from  these 
excursions.  He  will  never  return  without  results, 
no  matter  how  small  his  library. 

The  moral  qualities  of  the  librarian  are  outside 
the  limits  of  a  guide  like  this.    I  may  be  permitted 


30  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

however,  to  touch  upon  some  of  them  so  far  as  they 
influence  the  administration  of  the  hbrary. 

One  of  the  first  quahties  needed,  if  not  the  first, 
is  a  strict  love  of  order  which  embraces  the  smallest 
details,  and  has  constantly  in  mind  the  possibility 
of  sudden  or  unexpected  death  and  of  temporary 
or  permanent  loss  of  memory.  The  librarian 
should  not  entrust  to  his  memory  alone  anything 
which  concerns  the  welfare  of  his  institution.  He 
should  take  notes  of  everything  and  keep  them 
carefully  in  a  place  where  his  successor  cannot  fail 
to  find  them. 

Yet,  he  must  not  waste  time  on  pedantic  details 
which  do  not  aid  essentially  in  the  keeping  of 
order.  Such  are  indices  and  underlining  in  some 
libraries,  and  filling  catalogs  with  biographical  and 
bibliographical  notes  which  do  not  belong  there. 

The  same  scrupulous  care  should  be  bestowed 
upon  the  reputation  of  his  institution.  Its  fame  is 
his  own.  But  this  duty  is  not  performed  by  blowing 
of  trumpets,  exaggerated  praise,  and  hyperbolical 
statements  with  regard  to  the  number  of  volumes 
( a  Parisian  librarian  once  very  properly  answered 
Hollberg's  question  in  regard  to  this  point :  "  Pau- 
peris est  numerare  gregem  ").  The  librarian  serves 
his  institution  by  readiness  to  please  and  by  being 
obliging,  and  by  sensible  and  discreet  announce- 
ments which  will  make  more  useful  and  accessible 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  31 

the  treasures  in  his  keeping.  At  the  same  time 
he  must  deal  fearlessly  with  persons  who  are  con- 
ceited enough  to  expect  the  librarian  to  sacrifice 
not  only  himself  but  his  profession  and  his  library 
to  their  wishes.  Only  too  frequently  do  the  heads 
of  large  libraries  have  bitter  experiences  of  the  ex- 
treme carelessness,  the  indiscretion,  the  failure  to 
keep  promises,  sometimes  even  the  dishonesty  of 
borrowers.  It  is  all  the  more  necessary,  therefore, 
to  exact  strict  observance  of  the  rules  of  the  insti- 
tution, and,  without  showing  petty  anxiety,  to 
exercise  watchful  caution.  The  librarian  who  in 
this  respect  becomes  guilty  of  negligence  or  con- 
nivance sins  grievously  against  posterity. 

Finally,  a  not  less  important,  but  often  non-exist- 
ent moral  quality  of  the  librarian  has  to  be  men- 
tioned—  self-abnegation  and  disinterestedness  in 
literary  matters.  Often  positions  in  libraries  are 
sought  after  merely  for  the  sake  of  more  liberal 
and  convenient  use  of  their  contents.  It  is  time  to 
put  a  stop  to  this  selfish  misuse  of  position  if  Ger- 
man librarianship  is  to  hold  its  own. 

No  special  knowledge  of  his  calling  is  needed  to 
make  it  clear  that  it  is  not  sufficient  for  the  libra- 
rian to  be  on  duty  only  during  the  hours  when  the 
library  is  open,  if  he  wishes  to  fulfill  the  various 
duties  of  that  calling  even  fairly  well.  To  the  most 
important  part  of  his  work  he  must  give  those  hours 


32  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

during  which  he  can  count  on  being  alone  and  undis- 
turbed in  his  Hbrary.  This  time  does  not  even  in- 
clude that  which  is  required  for  all  the  preparation 
which  we  have  mentioned,  or  for  the  correspondence 
which  he  must  carry  on.  For  this  work  he  will  have 
to  choose  other  hours.  There  is  left  for  the  conscien- 
tious librarian  barely  the  time  indispensable  for  the 
continuation  of  his  various  studies.  He  may  not 
think  of  literary  work  if  he  does  not  wish  to 
deprive  his  exhausted  body  of  the  few  remaining 
hours  for  recreation. 

His  motto  must  be :  aliis  inserviendo  consumor ; 
not  for  himself  but  for  others  must  he  work,  and 
willingly  must  he  deny  himself  the  enjoyments 
which  he  prepares  for  others. 

To  the  librarian  may  also  be  applied :  non  fit  sed 
nascitur ;  for  only  a  special  and  quite  peculiar  love 
for  his  profession  can  inspire  him  to  make  the  sac- 
rifices which  he  actually  does  make. 

His  education  must  be  many-sided  and  yet  thor- 
ough. His  literary  interest  must  be  broad  and  he 
must  not  concentrate  his  strength  upon  one  field  of 
activity  or  seize  upon  one  subject  with  special  inter- 
est. His  activities  are  of  necessity  dissipated,  yet 
he  must  devote  himself  to  his  work  with  diligence 
and  with  an  exactitude  bordering  on  the  micro- 
scopic. 

Daily  he  is  distracted  by  dealing  with  the  most 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  33 

diverse  subjects,  yet  no  one  more  than  he  needs  a 
clear  mind  and  reliable  memory. 

Finally,  his  work,  though  demanding  so  much  ex- 
ertion and  so  many  sacrifices,  must  remain  unknown 
and  hidden  in  the  quiet  sanctuary  of  his  own  library. 
While  the  easier  and  more  enjoyable  work  of  others 
receives  loud  applause  and  appreciation,  he  must 
find  his  only  recompense  in  the  satisfaction  of 
having  done  his  duty,— a  recompense  which  will 
often  be  curtailed,  for  he  will  often  fail,  because  of 
the  wide  range  of  his  work,  to  be  satisfied  with  him- 
self. After  accomplishing  the  hardest  tasks  he  finds 
ever  more  work  before  him,  demanding  ever  the 
same  exertion  and  the  same  sacrifices. 

If  after  careful  deliberation  on  these  duties  and 
a  scrupulous  self-examination  one  believes  himself 
capable  of  the  devotion  and  zeal  which  the  vo- 
cation of  librarian  calls  for,  he  should  take  up  the 
difficult  but  glorious  work  joyfully  and  cour- 
ageously. But  let  those  hirelings,  who  seek  only 
their  own  advancement  and  their  own  pleasure, 
remain  away  from  every  library.  Do  we  not  find, 
wherever  we  look,  egotism  enough  in  these  days  ? 
Shall  the  institutions  founded  by  our  fathers  for 
general  use  lose  the  purpose  without  which  they 
themselves  and  all  the  expense  and  labor  bestowed 
upon  them  become  wholly  superfluous  ? 

Finally,  I  beg  to  be  permitted  to  present  a  few 


34  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

modest  requests  to  the  authorities  who  conduct  the 
affairs  of  pubHc  hbraries.  No  librarian  who  respects 
himself  and  his  profession  can  be  indifferent  when 
he  sees  how  much  is  left  to  mere  chance  in  filling 
positions  in  libraries. 

For  the  most  common  and  insignificant  public 
offices  an  examination  or  other  evidence  of  previous 
preparation  is  demanded.  In  the  case  of  the  libra- 
rian alone  such  examinations  or  credentials  have 
been  deemed  unnecessary.  Indeed,  posts  have  often 
been  given  as  sinecures  or  as  livings  to  educators 
who  have  failed  in  their  own  callings.  This  is  the 
principal  reason  why  our  German  libraries  have 
hitherto  accomplished  so  much  less  than  they  really 
ought  to  have  accomplished.  In  the  future  let  care- 
ful examination  of  applicants  remedy  this  fault  and 
at  the  same  time  do  honor  to  the  office  of  librarian. 

May  the  position  of  the  librarian  also  become 
more  dignified!  Nearly  everywhere  in  Germany 
this  position  pays  a  salary  insufficient  for  a  care 
free  existence.  In  order  to  earn  the  necessary  liveli- 
hood the  librarian  must  occupy  himself  with  other 
work  of  all  sorts.  No  matter  how  conscientious  he  is 
about  his  library  duties— which  have  nothing  to  do 
with  literary  work— much  of  his  time  and  strength 
must  go  to  such  extraneous  labor.  If  he  is  conscien- 
tious and  knows  his  duties  well,  he  will  be  discon- 
tented and  his  life  will  be  embittered,  and  he  will 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  35 

appear,  perhaps,  disobliging  to  those  who  do  not 
know  the  conditions  or  who  are  not  able  to  judge 
impartially. 

The  requirements  of  an  education  for  librarian- 
ship  have  been  already  set  forth,  and  if  they  have 
not  been  exaggerated,  it  is  clear  that  a  mere  closet- 
scholar  or  platform-teacher  cannot  meet  them.  Yet 
the  income  of  the  lowest  positions  in  the  schools  often 
exceeds  considerably  the  salary  of  the  librarian. 

This  unfortunate  condition  is  the  more  pressing, 
because  the  librarian  has  expenditures  unknown  to 
others  (for  example,  expensive  correspondence) 
and  he  must  also  have  his  own  well  selected  library 
if  he  would  properly  conduct  his  office. 

Not  less  depressing  is  the  uncertainty  of  the 
librarian  about  the  fate  of  his  official  works  after 
his  death;  an  uncertainty  which  could  easily  be 
removed  to  the  benefit  of  the  library  if  there 
existed  in  each  library  a  supernumerary,  with  prom- 
ise of  appointment  for  diligence  and  ability.  If 
this  plan  were  adopted  the  librarian  would  have 
the  pleasure  of  training  his  own  successor  and, 
without  great  expense,  uniformity  of  work  could 
thus  be  insured,  as  well  as  the  possibility  of  carrying 
out  plans  which  demand  more  than  one  lifetime. 

More  attention  than  has  been  given  heretofore 
should  be  devoted  to  the  library  rules.  Many 
German  libraries  have  antiquated  regulations  which 


36  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

no  longer  meet  the  spirit  or  needs  of  our  time.  The 
Hbrarian,  though  pledged  to  observe  them,  can  do 
so  only  in  part  unless  he  wishes  hopelessly  to  com- 
promise himself  and  his  institution.  It  frequently 
happens,  therefore,  that,  without  formal  abolition 
of  old  rules,  a  practice  based  upon  verbal  tradition 
creeps  in— a  doubtful  guarantee  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  necessary  order. 

Where  this  has  occurred  the  reader  is  in  danger 
of  being  dependent  upon  the  whims  of  the  librarian 
—the  rules  being  unpublished  traditions  only— 
while  the  latter  has  no  protection  against  the  cap- 
rices of  the  reader.  It  is  only  right  that  the  libra- 
rian should  have  the  leading  voice  in  the  drawing 
up  of  new  regulations,  for  no  one  other  than  him- 
self has  complete  knowledge  of  the  different  cases 
which  arise  and  the  method  of  handling  them.  It  will 
then  be  the  business  of  the  authorities  to  examine 
his  rules,  to  correct  them,  and  after  adding  regula- 
tions concerning  the  librarian  himself  ( not  without 
discussing  these  with  him )  to  authorize  them. 

Rules  must  be  made  to  apply  to  the  library  itself, 
its  administration  and  the  different  persons  in  its 
service,  as  well  as  to  the  public  which  uses  the 
library.  The  librarian  should  be  unhampered  as 
far  as  possible  and  not  be  restricted  in  his  activi- 
ties in  an  undignified  way,  although  the  rules  should 
be  precise  and  definite. 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  37 

It  is  undoubtedly  necessary,  for  example,  even 
for  his  own  safety  and  comfort,  that  there  be  some 
control  over  his  expenditure  of  money.  And  it  is 
also  proper  that  he  ask  the  approval  of  the  board 
in  the  case  of  large  purchases,  such  as  complete 
collections,  which  affect  appreciably  the  budget 
of  the  year ;  but  he  should  not  be  expected  to  ask 
permission  for  every  single  ordinary  purchase ;  nor 
should  he  be  restricted  in  making  improvements 
in  the  interior  arrangement  and  shelving.  But  in 
cases  where  these  involve  extra  expense  or  make 
the  library  unavailable  for  a  time,  it  should  be  his 
duty  to  report  on  them  to  the  authorities. 

The  rules  concerning  the  use  of  the  institution 
are  a  different  matter.  They  must  be  very  definite 
and  as  binding  for  the  librarian  as  for  the  public. 
But  the  advances  of  the  time  should  be  taken  into 
consideration.  In  many  libraries  the  lending  of  the 
most  insignificant  manuscript  is  prohibited,  while 
no  precautions  whatever  are  taken  when  lending 
incunabula,  rare  editions,  or  other  valuable  copies. 
There  are  manuscripts,  especially  in  the  larger 
national  libraries,  which  are  not  for  general  use, 
and,  in  certain  cases,  are  not  for  present  use  at  all 
( most  of  these  the  eagle-eyed  archivist  has  discov- 
ered and  placed  where  they  are  safe  and  inacces- 
sible). But  why  should  other  kinds  of  manu- 
scripts, for  instance  those  of  classical  writers,  not 


38  FRIEDRICH  ADOLPH  EBERT 

be  accessible  to  everybody  for  use  in  the  library  ? 

What  the  French  and  Italians,  with  their  rich 
collections  of  manuscripts  willingly  permit  every 
stranger  to  use  we,  with  our  paucity  of  manu- 
scripts, deny  grudgingly  to  our  own  countrymen 
and  possess  them  only  to  exhibit  them  ostenta- 
tiously to  the  passing  stranger !  At  least  the  for- 
eigner who  is  not  aware  of  the  circumstances  might 
suspect  this,  although  German  scholars  know  from 
experience  that  German  libraries  are  in  this  respect 
much  more  generous  than  the  letter  of  the  law  pre- 
scribes. 

But  why  not  change  the  rule  ?  A  rule— would 
that  every  board  might  realize  this  to  the  full— 
which  the  librarian  is  sworn  to  observe. 

Finally,  the  board  should  not  deny  the  librarian 
its  strong  protection  when  it  becomes  necessary  to 
enforce  the  rules  against  careless  or  unscrupulous 
users  of  the  library.  Without  their  support  he  is 
often  unable  to  prevent  great  loss. 

Would  that  these  pages  might  have  the  good  for- 
tune to  be  read  by  men  who  will  take  to  heart  some 
of  the  matters  treated  therein,  whether  wishes,  pray- 
ers, rules,  or  instructions !  The  author  has  spoken 
only  because  worthier  and  more  experienced  men 
than  he  have  remained  silent.  But  he  is  convinced 
that  no  one  surpasses  him  in  genuine  and  honest 
love  for  his  calling.    Out  of  this  love  he  has  here 


TRAINING  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN  39 

expressed  his  views  and  desires,  and  hopes  they 
may  find  a  hearing  and  bear  fruit  in  due  time ! 


RETURN    LIBRARY  SCHOOL  LIBRARY    Uö4Z 

TO— ^   2  South  Hall                           642-2253 

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2 

3 

4 

5                               ( 

S 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

MAY  9  *\  1f^QI 

, 

1 

/ 

/ 

/ 

/     j 

L                 / 

FORM  NO.  DD18 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFO, 

BERKELEY,  CA  94, 


